January 1916. On the coldest night in memory, Henry Yewbeam's cousin Zeke tricks him into using the Time Twister, a beautiful marble full of shining colours that draws him into the future. And so the adventures begin...January 2002. A month after the excitement of Christmas, on another cold night, Charlie meets Henry reappearing at Bloor's in the twenty-first century, and realises Henry's cousin is none other than old Ezekiel Bloor. He hides Henry from Ezekiel's spies, Billy Raven and Blessed the dog, while he and Fidelio work out how they can help Henry. Using the freezer to create the right temperature doesn't work, but it does bring Cook and the Flames into the secret. Of the other endowed children, Emma is distant, Lysander and Tancred have fallen out, and then Gabriel tries on a mysterious black glove. Charlie's horrible Yewbeam aunts are trying to make him enter a picture of Skarpo, the magician, while his Uncle Paton has found he can avoid exploding light bulbs if he reads as he walks. The friends meet up at the Pets' Cafe, run by Mr and Mrs Onimous, and the town's dogs chase Asa when he tries to slink in as a werewolf.
Uncle Paton's plan to soothe Julia Ingledew's fears about his strange talent fails when he's momentarily distracted from his book. Meanwhile, back at Bloor's, Henry has been captured by Manfred and Ezekiel, and Mrs Bloor has finally been able to escape using the Time Twister. Paton is suddenly run over by the Yewbeam aunts, but asks Julia Ingledew to give Charlie a Welsh dictionary, that will allow him to command the wand of a Welsh wizard. Charlie, with the endowed children and Uncle Paton, sets off to rescue Henry from the Pets' Cafe which has a secret tunnel to where Henry is imprisoned. After releasing Henry from the dungeon with the Welsh wand, Charlie takes him to the home of Henry's brother, James, now an old man, looked after by Cook's sister, Pearl. Everyone thoroughly enjoys Uncle Paton's birthday party, especially when Tancred's father blows the Yewbeam aunts down the street.
- ISBN10 1405201258
- ISBN13 9781405201254
- Publish Date 1 April 2003 (first published 31 December 1999)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 27 April 2016
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Egmont UK Ltd
- Imprint Egmont Books Ltd
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 388
- Language English